Poorer renters at risk from homelessness as benefit shortfall grows

Hundreds of thousands of low-income households in Britain are facing a living standards crisis that by 2020 will see them struggling to meet a £100-a-month shortfall between rents and housing benefit payments, according to the Fabian Society.

Many private tenants could become homeless if they cannot find the money to meet the shortfall, while others will be forced to turn to food banks or “black market” cash-in-hand jobs to make ends meet...

The report highlights that the crisis will become more acute after 2020 unless ministers raise housing benefit levels.

By 2025, nearly a quarter of households will rent privately and many working families will be unable to afford market rents without help from benefits.